UK public data, by local authority district
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The population stood at 183,762 in 2025. That is 0.5% higher than a year earlier. That is the highest value in the published series, which begins in 1991.

Why the caveats matter

Every figure carries the publisher's own caveats. Where a statistic is published for a wider area than the one you clicked, or where the publisher itself flags it as unreliable, the page says so rather than quietly rounding it off.

The UK's four nations publish separately, so some figures stop at a border: house sale prices cover England and Wales, road collisions Great Britain. Pupil absence is published for England, but not every English district individually — some are reported only as part of their wider county. An area with fewer datasets isn't missing data — either its nation publishes that statistic through a different body, or (pupil absence only) its own district isn't reported separately.

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Population estimate — Reading

183,762, latest 2025 (+0.5% year on year, from 182,809).

The population stood at 183,762 in 2025. That is 0.5% higher than a year earlier. That is the highest value in the published series, which begins in 1991. Its low point was 134,827 in 1991; the latest reading is 36% above that.

Show the numbers (35 periods)
Population estimate — Reading, every published period
PeriodValue
2025183,762
2024182,809
2023180,350
2022176,479
2021173,371
2020173,879
2019174,288
2018174,484
2017173,047
2016171,750
2015169,220
2014166,300
2013163,089
2012159,065
2011155,339
2010154,296
2009152,326
2008151,460
2007149,678
2006148,321
2005146,940
2004144,590
2003144,070
2002143,915
2001144,684
2000143,912
1999143,512
1998144,129
1997142,185
1996139,491
1995138,421
1994135,794
1993135,479
1992135,342
1991134,827

What these terms mean

Mid-year estimate
A modelled count of the population on 30 June, updated between censuses. It is an estimate, not a headcount. Source
Local authority district
The council area a statistic is published for -- 361 across the UK. In England these are boroughs, districts and unitary authorities; in Scotland, council areas; in Wales, principal areas; in Northern Ireland, districts.

Before you use these figures

  • Mid-year estimate, not a census count: This is a modelled mid-year (30 June) estimate, not a direct headcount. It is rebased periodically against the latest UK census results -- the current series was rebased to the 2021/2022 censuses, replacing previously published estimates for 2011 to 2022. Figures for the same year can therefore change between publications as later data becomes available.
  • Unrounded, but not precise to the individual: Figures are published unrounded to enable further calculation, but ONS is explicit that small estimates should not be read as accurate to a specific person -- they are produced using statistical models and disclosure-control methods, not a direct count.

Cite this figure:

Population estimate — Reading
183,762 for Reading, 2025
Caveats: Mid-year estimate, not a census count; Unrounded, but not precise to the individual
StatsMapped last confirmed this figure unchanged on 5 Sep 2026.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Population Estimates (via Nomis)
https://statsmapped.com/united-kingdom/local-authority/reading/population-estimate

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